Gilchester revisited 3

The dough rose reasonably well in the tins in the fridge overnight. I took them out about 5pm and left them to rise further which they did. However there were some very obvious large gas pockets at the top. The loaves went in the oven at about 7.30pm. In an attempt to get some oven spring I preheated a grill pan and when I put the loaves in I poured boiling water into the pan to generate steam. I started the oven at 230C and after about 15 minutes turned it down to 210C and removed the grill pan. After 25 minutes I took the loaves out of their pans but they were not fully cooked on the bottom so they were back in the oven, out of their pans, for another 15 minutes (making 40 minutes total).

The resulting loaves taste good and are moist but have huge holes under the crust. I think this flying crust is probably due to the very long proving period and I suspect the dough was still too dry.

The undercooked bottom of the loaves would have been due to the grill pan under the loaf tins. Next time I will try using the fan oven (instead of top and bottom heat) so that the grill pan doesn't block the bottom heating element.

So my view of the Gilchester flour? I'm disappointed but not surprised. For the moment I shall stick with the more usual bread flours available. Once I have my technique perfected with these I shall try the Gilchester again.

Gilchester revisited 2

The dough hasn't risen as much as I would have hoped - in the morning I didn't bother to knock it back and this evening it still hadn't reached the top of the bowl. As it happens, this slow rise helps me as I didn't have time to put the dough in tins until late this evening. Instead of baking tonight the tins are back in the fridge and hopefully will have risen well enough by tomorrow evening. Even if they haven't, taking them out of the fridge and putting them somewhere warm is easy to do as soon as I get in. Tomorrow night will finally show if this has all been a success.

Gilchester revisited 1

My first attempt with Gilchester Organics flour was disappointing with a rather flat loaf and rolls. Tonight I tried again but with some changes to maximise my chances of a well risen loaf. Firstly, instead of my usual 80% wholemeal, 20% white mixture I used 50/50 wholemeal and white. I also used 50/50 water and milk, instead of just water although I don't think this makes any difference. I normally use 600ml liquid for white flour and 700ml for wholemeal, so for a 50/50 mix I used 650ml. Once again this produced a very dry dough so I added more water until the dough consistency was better. In total I used 700ml with my 1kg of flour.

The results won't be known until tomorrow evening but after a couple of hours in the fridge the dough is definitely rising so it seems promising. Watch this space.

More cheap flour

Asda are selling wholemeal (and brown) bread flour for £1 per 1.5kg bag. It's protein content is the same as  Allinson Premium Wholemeal Very Strong Bread Flour but whether this translates to the same gluten quality I don't know. If you want stoneground flour then Tesco Strong Stoneground Wholemeal flour is £1.29. If you also want it to be organic then Waitrose Organic Stoneground Strong Wholemeal Bread Flour is £1.49. This is also available online from Ocado (as well as Waitrose Deliver).

Cheap Asda flour

Asda are selling white bread flour for 50p a 1.5kg bag, which is much cheaper than any other strong flour I have seen. It also contains Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C) as a flour improver which may be to make up for it having a lower protein (and hence gluten) content than other strong white flours. For example, it is 11% protein compared to around 12% for other strong white and almost 14% for very strong white flours.

Oat bread

I've made an oat bread by using my basic bread recipe with 800g very strong white flour, 100g oat bran and 100g medium oat meal with 300ml water and 300ml skimmed milk. Although a white bread I did include the vitamin C tablet. This was very successful rising very nicely. It tastes delicious although the oats are very subtle. Next time I will increase the proportion of oats. I suspect that using any strong white flour will also work although using more oats will decrease the gluten content.

Gilchester Organics

Most bread flour sold in the UK contains at least some imported flour. This is because most wheat grown here is not strong enough for bread so the millers mix in foreign, often Canadian, flour to ensure there is enough gluten. Hovis claim that all their flour is British although it doesn't say this on the bags - their bread mixes and breads do state this on the packaging. However, Premier Foods have told me that their flour is 100% British.

The other source of UK bread flour are the many independent mills around the country, although getting hold of their products can be hard unless you can visit the mill. Booths supermarkets stock Gilchester Organics flours so I have tried their 100% whole wheat strong flour and unbleached white strong wheat flour. These are organically grown on their own farm in Northumberland and stoneground in their own mill.

I followed my standard recipe (80% wholemeal, 20% white) although I didn't use any milk, just 700ml warm water. The resulting dough was much paler than from other wholemeal flours that I have used and it was also a bit dry. Once I added oil it kneaded quite well and I did so for about 15 minutes which is longer than I usually do. It was then in the fridge overnight for its first rise. The next morning it had risen but not as much as usual. I knocked it back and left it in the fridge until the evening. Again, it hadn't risen as much as doughs from other flours. I shaped it into 9 rolls and a small loaf and left them to rise. After a couple of hours the rolls had spread like I would have expected. The loaf had done the same but hadn't risen as much as I would have liked.

After baking and leaving to cool I tried one of the rolls. The inside looked pretty much like the other wholemeal rolls I have made but a bit paler. They tasted good. They might have been a bit heavy but not as bad as I was expecting. The next few days will see how they fare, especially the rather flat looking loaf. I shall report back after a few breakfasts and lunches.

Next time I use this flour I will remember to use half milk with the water and I shall add more water until the dough is the consistency I expect. This might help it to rise better.

Spelt bread for breakfast

So how was the spelt bread the morning after? It's been stored overnight like I store all my home made bread - in greaseproof paper in a bread storage bag in a bread bin. The crust is still quite hard to slice (probably due to it being baked for an hour) and the flavour is the same. I don't like it. This may be more to do with the seeds in the recipe so maybe I'll try it again without the seeds. It still isn't the right texture for bread - I much prefer my basic, almost wholemeal recipe which tastes great. My wife likes seeds in bread so she may like it. I doubt the children will though as it's too heavy.

3 minute spelt bread

On the bag for Gilchester Organics 100% Whole Spelt Flour is a recipe for Three Minute Spelt Bread. This involves no kneading and no leaving to rise. Could it possibly work? I was very sceptical but gave it a go.

The dough is nothing like for normal bread - in fact it's more like a rich cake mixture which you spoon into the loaf tin. It goes straight into the oven at 200C for an hour. Amazingly, after a few minutes it has risen. It doesn't look like normal bread - the rise is very uneven.

So what's it like? I tried it while still warm with butter. It's fairly heavy and is very nutty. I'm not sure if this is the spelt or the seeds in the recipe. It's more like a heavy cake than bread.

Would I make it again? I'm not sure - I'll have to see what it's like for breakfast.

The recipe linked to above is not very clear - it uses 500ml water. The recipe on the bag is right.

River Cottage Bread Book

I have learnt a lot about bread from many sources including various books and the internet. One book which has been helpful is Bread: River Cottage Handbook No. 3. I'm not sure I'd recommend it to a complete beginner as it might put them off but for anyone who has tried making bread and wants to learn some more it is a good guide.

Basic bread

I shall start my bread blog with my basic bread recipe. This makes 2 loaves or 12 rolls (or 1 loaf and 6 rolls).

800g strong wholemeal flour
200g strong white flour
10g dry yeast (I use Doves Farm quick yeast)
15g salt
20g light brown sugar
1 crushed vitamin C tablet (500mg)
350ml skimmed milk
350ml water
30g sunflower oil

The liquid should be hand hot which can be done with one third boiling water and the rest cold. Always check the temperature - if it is too hot to hold your hand in then it could kill the yeast.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and then mix in the warm liquid but not the oil. Mix with a wooden spoon. Leave for a couple of minutes for the liquid to soak in and then mix with your hands until all the flour has been incorporated into the dough. Then knead in the oil (still in the bowl).

Turn out the dough on to your work surface. Do not flour the surface as the dough sticking to it helps it to stretch as you knead. Knead for 10 minutes or so. Initially it will be very oily and then will become sticky but eventually you should get a nice smooth dough.

Oil a large bowl (I use the same bowl that I used for mixing having washed and dried it). Shape the dough into a round and put in the bowl. Cover it with oiled clingfilm and put in the fridge until the next day. I usually mix the dough in the evening and the next morning knock the dough back down and put it back in the fridge. The following evening it is ready to shape into loaves or rolls. I regularly leave it for around 20 hours.

Shape the rolls or loaves. Then leave covered with oiled clingfilm (you can reuse the piece that you used to cover the bowl) for a couple of hours to rise. I often put them in the oven set to 30C if the kitchen is a bit cool and I am in a bit of a hurry.

I bake loaves in tins with the oven set for top and bottom heat at 230C for 30 minutes. For the last 5 minutes I turn the loaf out of its tin and place directly on the rack in the oven.

I usually do rolls on two layers so have to use the fan oven. For this I start at 230C for 10 minutes and then 10 more minutes at 210C. I use a baking tray with holes but if you have a solid tray you may want to put the rolls directly on the oven rack for the last 5 minutes to crisp the base.

I always grease the trays and tins with butter. You can use oil but in a tin this can sink down and fry the base of the loaf.

I intend adjusting the recipe so check this blog to see how I get on. Ideas are:
- Reduce the yeast
- Use just water and not milk. The milk is supposed to make the bread softer.
- Use 100% wholemeal flour. The white is to help it rise.
- Eliminate the vitamin C. This is also supposed to help the loaf rise.